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Sportsmail columnist MARTIN KEOWN answered YOUR questions after a bumper week of Premier League football which threw up several major talking points.

The former Arsenal and England defender addressed the major topics, such as the alleged spitting incident between Jonny Evans and Papiss Cisse, as well as how victories for Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal (as well as Tottenham and Southampton) kept the race for a Champions League place as close as ever. And that's not all...

What's the reason for Everton's demise in the Premier League? Should West Ham get rid of Sam Allardyce? And is Jordan Henderson the perfect man to replace Steven Gerrard?

Read on to find out.

Martin Keown

Host commentator

Matthew Morlidge

Host commentator

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13:50

That's all, folks!

Thanks for joining me this week and for all your excellent questions. Tomorrow, I will be interviewing Arsene Wenger for the BBC’s Football Focus programme on Saturday.

I have a raft of questions for my old boss, but what are the burning issues you would like to quiz the Arsenal manager on? Tweet me @martinkeown5 and I will select the best one to ask Wenger.

Take care!

13:50

And finally... What are Arsenal’s chances of getting anything at OT come Monday?? @Alexino33

I don’t think Arsenal should go there with any fear. If you look at both teams, Arsenal look stronger at the moment.

My one worry, is that this fixture could galvanise United. In a dressing room where everything is so controlled and analytical, there is no risk or freedom in United’s play.

Suddenly when it’s Arsenal against Manchester United, individual aspirations of players to win a game and play at Wembley can make them breakaway from the manager.

Sometimes a manager can almost handcuff his players and restrict their freedom of expression, but in a game like this, players might want to break from the mould.

It could be a defining night for United when individuals turn up to play and the personalities come flooding through. If they play as they are, though, then Arsenal can play their football and use their firepower to win the game.

Manchester United's FA Cup game against Arsenal could galvanise the team... it's a worry

I believe Roy will pick Harry in his senior squad though I'm not sure if he will necessarily play in the game against Lithuania. He might get feature against Italy but in a way it might even be a time to get a bit of rest.

But Kane looks like a strong, robust player capable of playing a lot of games and there is no doubt he will want to play for England. It’s the same if he goes with the England U21 squad to the European Championships in June.

Tottenham will have to manage him carefully. His rise has been so meteoric that he is almost a bit behind on his international development.

You wouldn’t want to deny him the chance to be involved in the full squad. But if he only plays a bit part in Roy’s squad, then he has to be a part of the Under 21s – we want to take our best players to those kind of tournaments to develop winners.

13:30

With Arsenal just 4 points behind 2nd in 3rd, where can #Arsene Wenger's side realistically finish? #TackleKeown ‏@Sam7Garrett

I think Arsenal would happy to finish where they are now, Sam. Liverpool’s form is creating fear among the top four. Even City will be looking over their shoulder thinking they need to improve after losing to Brendan Rodgers' side. So, there won’t be any time for Arsenal or Man United to relax.

If Liverpool continue as they are, then realistically it could be Arsenal or United who miss out on the top four. That’s why I think the Gunners would be happy to stay as they are at the moment.

I feel Liverpool’s form and momentum is so impressive, and with big players to come back from injury, they will make it into the top four. A lot rests on their next three games (Swansea, Manchester United, Arsenal).

I think it will be between Arsenal and United in the end, but the fact they all have to play each other is fascinating.

Arsenal will be happy to stay as they are... they could be fighting Man United for a top four spot

13:23

Should West Ham keep Sam Allardyce? Has he done as badly as some West Ham fans think? Mooro, London

I think you have to look at the performances overall. Yes they are on a bad run, with one win in 11, but I feel Sam is building something there and he should be left alone to manage them.

They have put in some excellent performances this season and there is a good group of players there, with a good blend of young and old.

Winston Reid signing a new contract is a boost, Alex Song was a good signing, Stewart Downing has come to the fore and Adrian has been outstanding. The performance against Crystal Palace was disappointing but they should have beaten Tottenham and deserved to get something out of the defeat by Chelsea.

I don’t get it with their fans, I don’t get what they’re really looking for. The trouble is the side occasionally provides ammunition for Sam’s detractors – the 4-0 FA Cup loss to West Brom in particular - and the current run puts him under pressure.

But I feel what they have done overall is encouraging for the club.

Sam Allardyce is building something at West Ham. I don't get their fans - what are they looking for?

13:21

Martin were you ever approached by Oxford United to manage them. If so why did you not accept as I believe you would have done well as a manager. Mick Jones, United supporter

I was never really approached, Mick. When they were in the conference, I think I was asked the question if I would be interested.

I remember playing against Oxford United at the highest level but the way the club fell away was so sad. Living in Oxford, they were always my second club and it was such a disappointment to see them disappear from the top level.

Had they still been around in the top few divisions, it certainly would have been on my radar. But when they were in the conference, it didn’t seem like a reasonable possibility. They were in a perilous position so it didn’t really ever enter my thinking.

13:15

Can Everton really be relegated? Moody Blue on Merseyside

I can see why you're moody! I think it’s astonishing to see what is happening at Goodison Park. I don’t know if Martinez would benefit from some more experience on his staff or those who more used to working at a bigger club, because Everton are huge. There doesn't seem to be too many people from another era there with more experience.

Everton are tumbling and Martinez is starting to look a bit lost in some of his post-match interviews. He seems to be more focused on games coming up rather than the games he’s just had.

I don’t think they will go down, but you can’t say they are too good to go down. Their run of form is very concerning.

Martinez is obviously a very creative manager and loves to play an attacking team, but at the moment they need to scrap and learn to pick up points where they can.

They need to be a bit more conservative – now is not the time for pretty football. Yes you can play at the right time but they need to learn to fight for points.

When West Brom took a second-minute lead against Southampton at the weekend, they hung on, stayed professional and ran down the clock. Would a Martinez team do the same? I don’t think so.

Everton are tumbling... they need to be more conservative - forget the pretty football!

13:05

Henderson looks a good captain… who is the best captain you played with and what does a good captain need? Do you think he deserves the job full time when Gerrard leaves? Gary, Fife

Best captain is a difficult one. Tony Adams certainly won the most trophies of the people I played with but Patrick Vieira was also a very good skipper.

Adams was such a good stopper but Vieira was one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League. They were very different as captains though.

Tony led from a very young age and that moulded him as a player. That made him really boss the team – people say captains can’t be nurtured but I think George Graham did that with Tony very well. With Patrick, the captaincy was almost forced upon him. He probably didn’t think he was that type of person but he grew into the job magnificently.

It’s the same with Henderson – he is growing in maturity as a person and a player because Rodgers seems to see the necessary qualities in him to lead. But all captains need drive and a determination to succeed.

You have to be a good communicator because you have to bring people along with you. But you have to be up for it every game – there is no room to let up if you’re trying to get people to follow you. And I think Henderson deserves that job.

He is scoring goals like Gerrard and his assist for Sturridge was exceptional. He’s not as technically gifted as Gerrard but things are coming off for him instinctively and he would make a fine captain.

Jordan Henderson is growing into his role as leader... he would make a fine captain

12:59

Why has Brendan Rodgers done so well implementing a back three in defence whereas others like LVG have struggle? @Charles_Thechip

I don’t think it’s just about the back three, Charles, it’s about the tempo of play.

Liverpool’s tiers in midfield really help that system work. Henderson and Allen sit deep while Lallana and Coutinho run riot and cause problems.Now they have pace throughout the team and because of their attacking threat, that makes it easier for them to dominate possession and helps the back three.

But United’s problems are linked to how they’re playing the game. They played a back four at Newcastle and that does make them more solid than when they play in a three. When their rhythm is so disjointed, it affects the whole team. They don’t have the same pace to break forward as Liverpool do and that makes them less secure defensively.

I don’t think United are strong enough in an attacking sense to get away with playing a back three. Liverpool’s possession turns into tangible success, United’s rarely does.

The speed in which Liverpool play has helped them master three at the back this season

12:55

Alan Pardew says that players in TV games are being treated differently by the FA. He seems to have a point. Jedinak gets four games from a Sky match, Figueroa gets nothing. Do you agree? Andy Walsh, Bedford

I don’t think that’s necessarily true, Andy. Every game is televised somewhere in the world – there are cameras all over the place. When one game is live, there is obviously a larger audience and more of a responsibility to dissect incidents. But I think the opposite is actually true of what Pardew is saying.

If there’s any element of doubt on a dubious decision, there are cameras there pointing at it. If TV producers and editors are doing their jobs, then those incidents will be seen.

Yes, when games happen all at once then it can take a while to come to light. Yes, things will get missed, but I don’t think a challenge like Jedinak’s would go unseen, even if it wasn’t a live game. He was not trying to protect himself, it was a very deliberate act.

However, it's bad that nothing was done about Figueroa’s challenge, that was a poor one.

Jedinak's elbow was a deliberate act and it would have been seen regardless of TV rights

Maynor Figueroa was lucky to get away with this though - it was a poor tackle

12:51

What's a sufficient punishment for spitting & how would you have reacted had a player spat at you? @bergamp64

Well, somebody did spit at me once. I think it was during a game in Turkey while I was playing for Everton. That was supposed to be a pre-season friendly but it was anything but. Even our bus was stoned by the fans and it felt like a mini riot.

But when I was spat at, it was right into my face. It’s such a disgusting act. But when it happened, it wasn’t a case of being so angry you want to hit him, it was more of a shock. It was just abusive and too much. Nobody can defend it. It’s probably the most disrespectful and disgusting thing you can do to another human being, let alone an opponent.

As for punishment, you could argue it’s as bad as, if not worse than biting. Biting causes physical pain, but that is almost a childish reaction whereas to spit in someone’s face, for me that’s worse. It’s more deliberate and insulting.

But I don’t think they should get more than a three match ban. Yes there has to be a suspension, but it’s more important to educate players as to how actions like this come across.

12:45

After being faced with a hard tackle, did you ever spit.... @dandbd

Never. In some cultures people do spit on the floor when they’re angry, but I never did it. I don’t understand why people do it and Jonny Evans certainly isn’t part of one of those cultures.

I can’t understand why people would spit at all when they’re angry, but I did think there was some provocation. ‏I thought Cisse ran his studs down Evans’ achilles and also made a straight-legged challenge on him.

So from the seemingly mild mannered Evans we know, he suddenly started spitting. He will say he wasn’t spitting at him, but that is no excuse. It is unacceptable.

12:33

Is the refereeing this season the worst you've ever known? @chrislongmuir69

It certainly seems to be, Chris. It seems we get one inexplicable decision after another this season.

Even just last night we saw a clumsy tackle from Chris Smalling go unpunished. The referee and his assistant had a good enough view but it was still not given as a penalty.

When you look at the Wes Brown and John O’Shea incident at the weekend, if you’ve played the game you would realise it would be impossible for Falcao to fall the way he did had Wes Brown fouled him. It was impossible for Brown to foul him that way.

For the foul somebody deserved to see red, but because the referee made a mistake, nobody was suspended and Sunderland got lucky. If anything that punished Hull, who had to face Sunderland’s first-choice centre backs.

Sometimes I do wonder what would happen if a former player took charge of a match, though I realise that is unlikely. But this season we have seen so many decisions where referees have almost been looking in the wrong areas at the wrong time.

The standard of refereeing seems to be falling and with that uncertainty, players will certainly try to exploit it, which makes things even harder.

Chris Smalling was lucky to get away with this tackle on Emmanuel Riviere

Roger East sent off Wes Brown instead of John O'Shea against Manchester United